1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and means to assist breathing for both humans and some animals.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
The problem to which this invention is directed is the same problem as that set out in U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,499 which is directed to a nasal dilator which assists in resisting the drawing together of outer wall tissue of the nasal passage during breathing.
It is known that air passing through a nasal passage will, especially where that passage is other than circular, cause a drawing together of the closer walls through a bernoulli effect. This implicitly causes a further narrowing of the passageway. This effect is known to occur with many people. The result is that they may suffer sufficiently substantial restriction in passage cross sectional area that they can be forced to breathe additionally through their mouth or suffer effects such as snoring and even sleep apnoea. In other cases athletes can have their breathing restricted by this effect so limiting their performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,499 proposes a flexible strip which traverses from one side of the nose across the bridge of the nose to the other side and so that one end adheres to the skin adjacent one nasal passage and another end adheres to the skin adjacent the other nasal passage. The flexible strip has two resilient bands these being chosen so that they naturally spring apart and drag the skin and therefore the outer wall tissue outwardly to keep the respective passages more open.
An alternative system has a bifurcate arrangement which has respective legs in the respective nostrils and by, again, a natural springing apart, keeps the outer walls of the nose outwardly distended but from an inside of the nasal passageway.
I have found that the existing methods have disadvantages which can be reduced.
One of these is that the flexible strip traversing the bridge of the nose will be implicitly visible and many are concerned by the appearance of this when being worn.
Further, the application of such a device will generally result in a continuous pulling pressure being applied so that the soft flesh of the nose will be under this continuous force. This can result over time in lack of comfort and possibly pain.
An object of this invention is to provide the public with a useful alternative.
According to one form of this invention there is provided an arrangement for assisting breathing wherein there is a member adhering to the external surface of one side only of a nose, the member extending along a side of the nose in a position so that the member is positioned to have a first part of the member adhering to the skin of the nose adjacent a bony structure located at a back of the nose, and the member has a further part which is closer to an inlet of the nostril of the nose than the first said part and adhering to the skin of the nose adjacent a soft part of the nose, with the member being shaped and otherwise being characterised so as to hold the soft part of the nose outwardly.
In preference the arrangement is further characterised in that there are two said members adhering to a nose with one member on a first one side of the nose of a wearer and the other member on a second opposite side of the nose of a wearer.
In preference as one alternative the nose is the nose of a person.
In preference as a further alternative the nose is the nose of a horse.
In preference as a further alternative again the nose is the nose of a dog.
In preference each member is in the form of a strip with a first sheet of material having an outermost face having thereon a pressure responsive adhesive adapted to maintain a selected shape of the soft tissue.
In preference there is an arrangement for assisting breathing wherein a member has a part at a first end attached by adhesion to skin immediately adjacent bone toward a back of the nose of a user and a part at an opposite end of the member is attached by adhesion to the skin immediately above a portion of the nose toward a front of the nose which is soft flesh adjacent the nostril, and the member is shaped and positioned so as to effect a pulling outwardly of the flesh adjacent the nostril.
In preference the member is comprised of a laminate of a first pliable sheet with an outer surface coated by adhesive shaped and otherwise charactised to be located along a side of a nose, and a second pliable sheet holding a strut between itself and the first sheet.
In a further preferred arrangement there is an arrangement for assisting breathing by being attachable by adhesion along one side of a nose to effect a maintaining of dilation to a nasal passage of the nose characterised in that the member is of elongate shape and is curved so as to have a face defining a convex shape and a contact adhesive being only on the convex side.
In a further preferred arrangement there is an arrangement for assisting breathing by being attachable by adhesion along one side of a nose to effect a dilation force of a nasal passage characterised in that the member is a laminate comprised of a first pliable sheet with an outer surface coated by adhesive, a strut, and a second pliable sheet holding the strut between itself and the first sheet, the member being of elongate shape and is curved so as to have a side following a convex path and a contact adhesive being only on the convex side.
In preference for horses the angle is approximately 30 degrees.
In preference the strut is comprised of aluminium.